Among Black adolescents, exposure to racial discrimination (RD) is associated with a myriad of negative social, emotional, and physical health outcomes. Racial socialization (RS), defined as the verbal and nonverbal communication between youth and their caregivers on race and racial experiences, equips young people with the tools to adaptively appraise and cope with RD. Although RS is identified as a central component to the positive development of Black youth, scant research has assessed whether RS can mitigate the negative impact of RD on health for Black adolescents across social, emotional, and physical health indicators. Additionally, much of the literature relies on parent report of content and frequency of RS messaging, and less is known about the role of how effective or presently competent parents feel during the RS process. To address these gaps in the literature, this study collected cross-sectional survey data from 148 Black caregiver-adolescent dyads, with adolescents ranging in age from 12 – 17 (Mage = 14.4, SD = 1.57). Moderation and mediation analyses were used to explore the associations between experiences with RD, RS content and frequency, RS competency, and a self-reported health indicator, pediatric health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Findings revealed a significant negative relationship between adolescents’ exposure to RD and their HRQOL. Results also indicated RS content and frequency as a moderator in this relationship, when controlling for age and parent-child relationship. Among this sample, components of RS competency did not mediate a relationship between youth’s report of RD and their HRQOL. Implications for public policy, research, and culturally-responsive clinical practice are discussed.</p
